Why Do You Want this Job?
In one form or other, this question is asked in more than 50% of job interviews – so there is no excuse not to be prepared for it.
It is important to sound absolutely sincere when you answer this question so you need to work out what genuinely does appeal to you about the job. It might be their reputation as a good employer, the career opportunities available, the challenges in the role, the culture, how it fits with your career goals.
It’s also important to link your response to the employers’ needs and interests. It’s not just about you!
- Do communicate with genuine enthusiasm about the job and the organisation
- Do highlight positive features which link to the key skills and work attitudes they are seeking
- Do talk about your own achievements and use examples to show how your skills and experience are transferable and relevant to their environment.
- Don’t state the obvious that you are unemployed!
- Don’t say “the money”!!
- Don’t criticise or downplay the job with comments that it will be “easy” or that it won’t require hard work, learning or adjustment
Example Answer
“I love working with people – clients and my team members. And I am also looking for a job that will give me an opportunity to advance my career. I understand that Organisation Y has a good reputation for looking after it’s people and a great customer service culture.
When I was working in Organisation X, my role involved high volumes of client interaction and working collaboratively with team members. My clients valued my abilities to achieve outcomes and exceed their expectations (provide an example of exceeding expectations) but there were limited opportunities for progression.
I hope that if I work hard and exceed my performance targets then my efforts will be rewarded with more challenging tasks. It seems to me that this job has that potential.”